Cocoles de Anís

This Mexican anise bread is pillowy, aromatic, and slightly sweet. Enjoy in the morning with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee or as a treat in the afternoon spread with butter.

📝 Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup ground piloncillo (or packed brown sugar)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup lard (or shortening or butter)
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground anise seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 small egg
• Sesame seeds (as needed)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Place flour, piloncillo, sugar, yeast, ground anise seeds, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Mix to combine.
2. 2Add lard and water, and knead until you’ll have a smooth and elastic dough.
3. 3Make a ball with the dough and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm environment until almost doubled in size (about 1 hour).
4. 4Lightly flour a working surface and transfer the dough there. Divide the dough into 10 pieces.
5. 5Shape each piece into a ball, then roll each ball forth and back while lightly pressing the outer edges to form a sort of sausage with pointed ends.
6. 6Flatten the dough with a rolling pin to give it a diamond shape.
7. 7Place the rolled pieces on two greased baking sheets. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm environment to raise for 30-40 minutes.
8. 8Preheat your oven to 360°F/180°C
9. 9Combine the egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.
10. 10Brush each cocol roll with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
11. 11Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely golden brown.
12. 12Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then transfer the sweet rolls to a cooling rack and let them sit until cool down completely.